CBS scores an easy win on Thursday

Fast National ratings for Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008

CBS gained the upper hand in the battle of British remakes on Thursday as "Eleventh Hour" improved on its premiere while ABC's "Life on Mars" dropped off.

CBS easily won the night with a 9.1 rating/15 share. ABC finished second at 6.9/11. NBC took third at 5.0/8. FOX managed only a 2.6/4, but that was just good enough to beat the 2.2/3 for The CW.

In the adults 18-49 demographic things were a little closer, but CBS still prevailed with a 4.2 rating. ABC, 3.7, came in second, and NBC was third at 3.4. FOX and The CW tied for fourth at 1.4.

"Survivor: Gabon" kicked things off for CBS with a 7.9/13 at 8 p.m. "Ugly Betty" delivered a 5.6/9 for ABC. NBC grabbed third with "My Name Is Earl," 4.2/7, and "Kath & Kim," 3.9/6, which fell off from its premiere last week. The CW's "Smallville," 2.5/4, beat out FOX's "Hole in the Wall" for fourth.

CBS stayed on top of the overall ratings at 9 p.m. with "CSI," 11.6/18. "Grey's Anatomy" scored a 9.6/14 for ABC and had the night's best rating among adults 18-49. "The Office," 4.8/7, and "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday," 5.3/8, kept NBC in third. FOX's "Kitchen Nightmares," 2.3/3, moved ahead of "Supernatural" on The CW.

At 10 p.m., "Eleventh Hour" drew a 7.8/13, an improvement on last week's series premiere. NBC got a 5.9/10 from "ER," while "Life on Mars" fell off from its debut and finished with a 5.6/9 for ABC.

Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.